► Current literature on school leadership has shifted away from the traditional and hierarchical top-down model of leadership to a form of leadership that is collaborative…
(more)

▼ Current literature on school leadership has shifted away from the traditional and hierarchical top-down model of leadership to a form of leadership that is collaborative and shared. Policymakers, researchers and educators are now calling for practicing teachers to assume leadership positions in schools. The goal is for these teacher leaders to work with administrators and bring about school change. The purpose of this descriptive case study was to understand how teachers describe shared decision-making practices during disruptive change in a university in Cameroon, as well as teachers perceptions of the benefits and drawbacks of such efforts.; The study focused on the perception of 9 teachers from a university in Cameroon. Data collection involved documentation review of student protests in this university and semi-structured interviews with participants. The data were thematically coded and analyzed in order to understand how teachers describe shared decision-making practices during disruptive change, along with the benefits and drawbacks of such efforts. Results of the study are relevant to school teachers who seek to better understand what will be required to extend leadership to them. The study also creates an opportunity for university administrators to learn from the experiences of their colleagues on how leadership should be distributed during a disruptive change situation.

Nkem, B. (2018). Teacher perspective of distributed leadership during disruptive change: the case of a university in Cameroon. (Doctoral Dissertation). Northeastern University. Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/2047/D20282326

Nkem, Bernard. “Teacher perspective of distributed leadership during disruptive change: the case of a university in Cameroon.” 2018. Web. 25 May 2019.

Vancouver:

Nkem B. Teacher perspective of distributed leadership during disruptive change: the case of a university in Cameroon. [Internet] [Doctoral dissertation]. Northeastern University; 2018. [cited 2019 May 25].
Available from: http://hdl.handle.net/2047/D20282326.

Council of Science Editors:

Nkem B. Teacher perspective of distributed leadership during disruptive change: the case of a university in Cameroon. [Doctoral Dissertation]. Northeastern University; 2018. Available from: http://hdl.handle.net/2047/D20282326

►Distributedleadership is currently a widely studied and discussed topic in education. Distributedleadership is not a top-down leadership approach, as it depends upon both…
(more)

▼Distributedleadership is currently a widely studied and discussed topic in education. Distributedleadership is not a top-down leadership approach, as it depends upon both the leader and follower. However, research, to this point, has only focused upon the leader’s perspective. Little to no research has been done on the follower’s perceptions. The purpose of this study is to begin to fill the gap in research by examining the follower’s perception of the distribution of tasks within their scope of work, as well as the effect of distributedleadership on those tasks. “To what extent are teachers receptive to distributedleadership in different areas of their work, or are there areas where teachers want more or less influence (i.e. curriculum, policies, district initiatives, district calendar, salaries, etc.)?” is the question that focuses this study. The data from this study comes from two suburban districts just south of Kansas City, Missouri. Certified staff members from preschool, elementary, middle, and high school, and alternative schools were surveyed. The survey included a measure of distributedleadership at the building level, the amount of current influence teachers perceive they have over various tasks within their scope of work, as well as the desired amount of influence teachers would like to have over those same tasks. This made it possible to determine if there is a relationship between how leadership is distributed and the satisfaction of the follower. Findings suggest that distributedleadership does, in fact, have an impact on closing the gap between perceived and ideal influence – not in all aspects of teachers work, but one in particular (social tasks). Findings show that distributedleadership also has an impact on closing the satisfaction gap for those with higher degrees and males, but only in administrative tasks.
Advisors/Committee Members: Saatcioglu, Argun (advisor), DeLuca, Thomas A. (cmtemember), Parker, Eugene (cmtemember), Perbeck, Deborah (cmtemember), Skrtic, Thomas M (cmtemember).

► In the current climate of high-stakes educational accountability, school leaders are charged with not only ensuring sustainable school improvement but also addressing and rectifying achievement…
(more)

▼ In the current climate of high-stakes educational accountability, school leaders are charged with not only ensuring sustainable school improvement but also addressing and rectifying achievement gaps that exist across student subgroups, fully complying with national and state educational mandates, and successfully overseeing all managerial aspects of their positions. The challenging demands associated with creating a learning-focused school culture demand a paradigm shift away from traditional authoritative leadership models that conceptualized the principal as the sole heroic leader whose charisma and vision, alone, could elevate school improvement to a leadership model that presents leadership in terms of activities and interactions that are distributed across multiple people and situations.
The purpose of this comparative study was to critically examine the leadership practices of two Illinois elementary school principals who functioned as exemplary literacy leaders within their buildings, exploring the actions and activities of these principals to build their staffs' professional capacities, positively influence student learning, as well as the challenges and barriers they encountered when attempting to act as a literacy leader and the strategies or practices employed to overcome them. Data were collected through 12 interviews of principals, district administrators, assistant principals and teachers, observations of building leadership during eight visits, and document analysis. The participants included two principals; each interviewed on three different occasions; two central office supervisors; two assistant principals; and 13 teachers, including classroom teachers, reading specialists, special education teachers, and a fine arts teacher. Observations of building leadership during data meetings and staff meetings and information from document analysis also provided relevant data for this study.
Findings demonstrated that the two literacy leader principals engaged in various practices and behaviors to ensure that high impact literacy teaching and learning occurred within their schools. In addition to establishing a strong culture of learning in general and literacy learning in particular, the principals developed strong systems and structures to proactively monitor students' literacy achievement, engaged in ongoing collaboration with and professional development for teachers to expand their literacy leadership and instructional capacities, and strategically allocated resources such as prioritizing uninterrupted instructional time for literacy, providing curricular materials and funding for staff development, and maximizing human resources within the organization to advance the literacy mission of their schools. The principals also were skilled at purposefully distributing leadership to engage multiple stakeholders to apply their leadership skills and expertise toward making a substantive contribution to the organization’s literacy mission, which in turn increased the leadership density of the school. The…
Advisors/Committee Members: Hackmann, Donald G. (advisor), Hackmann, Donald G. (Committee Chair), Alexander, Kern (committee member), Dressman, Mark (committee member), Sloat, Linda (committee member).

► This study examined the role of instructional assistant principals in distributed instructional leadership in three middle schools in a large urban school district. Using…
(more)

▼ This study examined the role of instructional assistant principals in distributed instructional leadership in three middle schools in a large urban school district. Using the leadership functions in Hallinger’s (2011) framework of instructional leadership, the distribution of instructional leadership functions were examined. Interviews, document analysis, and an observation determined that the assistant principal in only one out of three cases was engaging in distributed instructional leadership. One was named an instructional assistant principal and functioned as an operations manager and the third was called a “lead” assistant principal and also spent most of his time on operational/management functions. Conclusions and implications for practice and future research were also discussed.
Advisors/Committee Members: Jean-Marie, Gaetane, Carpenter, Bradley, Carpenter, Bradley, Hampton, Georgia, Overstreet, Mikkaka.

► Since the turn of the century interest has grown in alternative models of leadership to reflect increased complexity and ambiguity, the need to respond faster…
(more)

▼ Since the turn of the century interest has grown in alternative models of leadership to reflect increased complexity and ambiguity, the need to respond faster to complex market conditions, and new patterns of accountability, inter- dependency and co-ordination within organisations of all types. This has led to the emergence of alternative models of leadership including shared and distributedleadership. In many organisations, such as those with matrix structures, many leaders need to accomplish organisational goals without formal line management authority over employees. This is also the case in many professional services (e.g. law and consultancy) that operate partnership models whereby individuals have little direct authority over their peers. In University settings the governance structure also impedes traditional hierarchical leadership. The tenure system, operated by many universities and colleges in the United States and Canada, provides intellectual autonomy, protects academics from external pressure and offers job security. Despite a growing literature on shared and distributedleadership, few studies have empirically examined the nature of leadership distribution, the contextual factors that impact leadership, and how those in senior positions (e.g. university department chairs) achieve organisational goals when employees (e.g. faculty members) possess significant authority and autonomy. This study addresses this gap. In so doing the study aims to contribute to the literature on shared and distributedleadership and provide important insight to assist positional leaders who possess limited direct authority in more effectively accomplishing their leadership goals.

Rothenberg, N. (2015). The role of authority and context in shaping leadership processes and distribution in business school departments : an exploratory study. (Doctoral Dissertation). Cranfield University. Retrieved from http://dspace.lib.cranfield.ac.uk/handle/1826/9619 ; http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.676000

Rothenberg, Neil. “The role of authority and context in shaping leadership processes and distribution in business school departments : an exploratory study.” 2015. Web. 25 May 2019.

Vancouver:

Rothenberg N. The role of authority and context in shaping leadership processes and distribution in business school departments : an exploratory study. [Internet] [Doctoral dissertation]. Cranfield University; 2015. [cited 2019 May 25].
Available from: http://dspace.lib.cranfield.ac.uk/handle/1826/9619 ; http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.676000.

Council of Science Editors:

Rothenberg N. The role of authority and context in shaping leadership processes and distribution in business school departments : an exploratory study. [Doctoral Dissertation]. Cranfield University; 2015. Available from: http://dspace.lib.cranfield.ac.uk/handle/1826/9619 ; http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.676000

Cranfield University

6.
Rothenberg, Neil.
The role of authority and context in shaping leadership processesand distribution in business school departments: an exploratory study.

► Since the turn of the century interest has grown in alternative models of leadership to reflect increased complexity and ambiguity, the need to respond faster…
(more)

▼ Since the turn of the century interest has grown in alternative models of
leadership to reflect increased complexity and ambiguity, the need to respond
faster to complex market conditions, and new patterns of accountability, inter-
dependency and co-ordination within organisations of all types. This has led to
the emergence of alternative models of leadership including shared and
distributedleadership. In many organisations, such as those with matrix
structures, many leaders need to accomplish organisational goals without
formal line management authority over employees. This is also the case in
many professional services (e.g. law and consultancy) that operate partnership
models whereby individuals have little direct authority over their peers. In
University settings the governance structure also impedes traditional
hierarchical leadership. The tenure system, operated by many universities and
colleges in the United States and Canada, provides intellectual autonomy,
protects academics from external pressure and offers job security. Despite a
growing literature on shared and distributedleadership, few studies have
empirically examined the nature of leadership distribution, the contextual factors
that impact leadership, and how those in senior positions (e.g. university
department chairs) achieve organisational goals when employees (e.g. faculty
members) possess significant authority and autonomy. This study addresses
this gap. In so doing the study aims to contribute to the literature on shared and
distributedleadership and provide important insight to assist positional leaders
who possess limited direct authority in more effectively accomplishing their
leadership goals. ...[cont.]

Rothenberg, N. (2015). The role of authority and context in shaping leadership processesand distribution in business school departments: an exploratory study. (Doctoral Dissertation). Cranfield University. Retrieved from http://dspace.lib.cranfield.ac.uk/handle/1826/9619

Chicago Manual of Style (16th Edition):

Rothenberg, Neil. “The role of authority and context in shaping leadership processesand distribution in business school departments: an exploratory study.” 2015. Doctoral Dissertation, Cranfield University. Accessed May 25, 2019.
http://dspace.lib.cranfield.ac.uk/handle/1826/9619.

MLA Handbook (7th Edition):

Rothenberg, Neil. “The role of authority and context in shaping leadership processesand distribution in business school departments: an exploratory study.” 2015. Web. 25 May 2019.

Vancouver:

Rothenberg N. The role of authority and context in shaping leadership processesand distribution in business school departments: an exploratory study. [Internet] [Doctoral dissertation]. Cranfield University; 2015. [cited 2019 May 25].
Available from: http://dspace.lib.cranfield.ac.uk/handle/1826/9619.

Council of Science Editors:

Rothenberg N. The role of authority and context in shaping leadership processesand distribution in business school departments: an exploratory study. [Doctoral Dissertation]. Cranfield University; 2015. Available from: http://dspace.lib.cranfield.ac.uk/handle/1826/9619

Washington State University

7.
[No author].
Engaging Staff in the Development of DistributedLeadership.

► During the 2010-11 school-year at Scootney Springs Elementary, an action research project with 8 teachers was initiated to create a culture of distributedleadership in…
(more)

▼ During the 2010-11 school-year at Scootney Springs Elementary, an action research project with 8 teachers was initiated to create a culture of distributedleadership in the school building. Throughout phase 1 of the study, we collected data from interviews, surveys, checklists, meeting minutes, observations, and documented discussions with the action research team and outside educators. Additionally, we reviewed literature on leadership. Data were coded and analyzed by the team throughout phase 2 of the research. After thorough analysis of the data, the team concluded that a shared and distributedleadership model had not developed at Scootney. Four themes emerged that may help explain this: (a) commitment; (b) fear; (c) strong beliefs; and (d) ambiguity.Based on the conclusions from data, four action plans were created by the action research team. The first action plan is to define leadership. In order for leadership to be "all encompassing" in a school, teachers need to know and agree upon, what leadership and leading means. The second action plan is to promote teacher leadership. In order to create teams of teacher leaders who work with the principal in achieving, managing, organizing, and sustaining building-level instructional goals and practices in our school, teachers need to know the advantages and disadvantages of taking on leadership. The third action plan is to establish a culture of teacher leadership. In order to establish a culture of teacher leadership, a set of key values, assumptions, understandings, and norms must be in place, shared and continually reviewed by members of the school. The last action plan is to provide support for teacher leaders. In order to expand teacher leadership, teachers need support in strengthening leadership skills as related to school improvement and team building. Positive changes in the school have occurred since the beginning of the 2010-11 school-year when the action research team initiated research on distributedleadership. Although the changes cannot be directly attributed to the action research the team undertook, an abundance of literature supports positive changes in schools that embrace distributed models of leadership.
Advisors/Committee Members: Acker-Hocevar, Michele (advisor).

► Educators are frequently faced with the challenges of politics, hostility, selfishness, and violence; it is unwise to think that the principal is the only one…
(more)

▼ Educators are frequently faced with the challenges of politics, hostility, selfishness,
and violence; it is unwise to think that the principal is the only one providing leadership
for school improvement. Thus a distributed perspective of leadership urges us to take
leadership practice as the focus of interest and address both teachers and administrators
as leaders.
The purpose of this descriptive statistical study was to explore principals?
leadership practices as perceived by teacher leaders and its possible affect to student
achievement. Data were collected by using the Leadership Practices Inventory (LPI)
(self and observer) instrument (Kouzes & Posner, 2003) from all willing teacher leaders
to determine the leadership practices of the principals in Region VI, Texas. Also,
statewide assessment data available from three school years (2004-2006) were obtained
from the Academic Excellence Indicator System (AEIS) report. In order to answer
research questions one to four, descriptive statistics including frequency, percentage,
mean and standard deviation were calculated for the LPI results.
The distributed framework offers considerable influence for studying leadership as a schoolwide rather than individual practice. Based on the literature, six conclusions
were drawn and recommendations were made regarding practice, future study and policy.
First, the findings indicated that principals? collaborative working style with teacher
leaders seems to have positive impact on student achievement. Second, failing to enlist
teacher leaders in a common vision might have a negative affect on student academic
performance. Third, the perceptions of teacher leaders in School 7, School 5 and School
16 reflected a need for the principal to take challenges and seek challenging
opportunities to change and grow. Fourth, recognizing teacher leaders? contributions and
celebrating team accomplishments is likely to have a positive and indirect impact on
school academic performance. Fifth, schools that had higher principal self and observer
LPI scores tended to have better TAKS scores. Last, the findings from the study
complement studies of the effects of site-based management teams. The positive impact
of ?Enabling Others to Act? and ?Inspiring a Shared Vision? on student achievement
implies that distributedleadership is most likely to contribute to school improvement
and to build school capacity for improvement.
Advisors/Committee Members: Hoyle, John (advisor), Torres, Mario (committee member), Webb-Johnson, Gwendolyn (committee member), Zellner, Luana (committee member).

► The purpose of this study was to scrutinize the practice and challenges of distributedleadership in Addis Ababa University. In order to meet the objectives…
(more)

▼ The purpose of this study was to scrutinize the practice and challenges of distributedleadership
in Addis Ababa University. In order to meet the objectives of the study, descriptive survey
method was employed. From 248,instructors, 78 instructors from 6 colleges, 3 deans from
College of Social Science (CSS); College of Business and Economics CBE); Colleges of Natural
Science (CNS); College of Development and Environmental Studies (CDS), College of Education
and Behavioral Studies (CEBS) and College of Law and Governance Studies were selected for
the study. Instructors were selected by Simple random sampling technique. Available sampling
technique was used to select college deans. Questionnaire containing open and close-ended
items, and semi structured interview, rating order and items constructed in terms of Likert scale
were employed in the process of data gathering. The data obtained through the questionnaires
were analyzed using frequency, percentages, mean, standard deviations, and rank order. The
information obtained through open-ended questionnaires and the interviews were organized to
supplement the quantitative data. Findings from the data analysis revealed that most instructors
in AAU moderately perceived the features of distributedleadership. It was also noted that the
leadership structure of the university moderately entertain the practice of distribution
leadership. Furthermore, the study revealed that instructors participation in decision-making
responsibilities beyond their own classroom and department functions and their collaboration to
achieve the collective ambition of the university were undersized. Lack of team work, loose tie
among college deans, department heads and instructors and lack of shared responsibility among
instructors were the major challenges that deter the practice of distributedleadership practice in
AAU. On the other hand, the study showed that ensuring well- built relation amongst college
deans department heads and instructors, persuade team work and shared responsibility, creating
favorable condition to facilitate team leadership and collective responsibility, ensuring smooth
collegial relationship amongst instructors were the major solutions to the problems. College
deans and department head work hand in hand to strengthen as well as guarantee the
participation of instructors in the decision making process of their respective college, ensuring,
team work, strong relationship, shared responsibility and creating favorable conditions for
effective practices of distributedleadership in the university were the major recommendations
forwarded in the study
Advisors/Committee Members: Dr. Hussein Kedir (advisor).

► Reform is constant but there is little or no change in the achievement gap. As the nation begins yet another reform effort, the Common Core…
(more)

▼ Reform is constant but there is little or no change in the achievement gap. As
the nation begins yet another reform effort, the Common Core State Standards, the
question proposed in this study is ever more pressing. Are we seeing real reform or is
it that underlying these many reform efforts are unchallenged and unchanged
epistemological assumptions that nurture existing theories-in-use despite whatever the
current flavor of espoused theory.
The primary purpose of this study is to identify how leadership practice is
distributed at the school site. Current literature on distributedleadership has identified
that for distributedleadership theory to be explanatory it will need to account for not
only that leadership practice is being distributed but how it is being distributed. Since
distributedleadership is the espoused leadership practice in education today a method
to uncover the theory-in-practice of leadership is required. The study used discourse analysis and Micropolitical theory to analyze the conversations of teachers and
administrators during 18 team meetings at two elementary schools over the course of a
year. The research questions of the study focused primarily on how conversations
revealed the power and position of specific discourses.
This study has observed that standards-based instruction and the high-stakes
testing that drives it have changed the paradigm of learning. This paradigm is that
learning is quantifiable and represented by the results of high-stakes testing. Raising
test scores is not only the indicator of closing the achievement gap but discursively
substitutes for closing the achievement gap. The study found that the discourse of
high-stakes testing was the most powerful discourse at the two schools and established
the context for conversations around learning. This discourse was more powerful at
the school where scores were more important and was more influential on the
approach teachers at that site had toward instruction. The discourse of high-stakes
testing served as a substitute for leadership, which reduced teacher and principal
autonomy. The study also found that the discourse of distributedleadership provided
spaces where participative discourse occurred. Further, it found that leadership was
largely hierarchically distributed at the two sites partly due to macro-discourses from
beyond the school site. Distributedleadership did not necessarily reduce and may have
increased the hierarchical power of the principal position.
These findings lead to a conclusion that the most recent version of standardsbased
instruction, the Common Core state standards, will continue to have the
discourse of high-stakes testing set the context for conversations around learning since it continues the same discourse. Another implication of the study is that how the
Common Core affects authentically engaging instruction will be more around the
construction and implementation of the assessment tools than around the
accompanying rhetoric.
Adding to research on…
Advisors/Committee Members: Chrispeels, Janet H (advisor).

Merica-Jones, J. (2014). Power Within Distributive Leadership:
A Consideration of Teacher and Administrator Relationships
as Constructed and Deconstructed through Discourse
. (Thesis). California State University – San Marcos. Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/10211.3/119021

Note: this citation may be lacking information needed for this citation format:Not specified: Masters Thesis or Doctoral Dissertation

Chicago Manual of Style (16th Edition):

Merica-Jones, Jerry. “Power Within Distributive Leadership:
A Consideration of Teacher and Administrator Relationships
as Constructed and Deconstructed through Discourse
.” 2014. Thesis, California State University – San Marcos. Accessed May 25, 2019.
http://hdl.handle.net/10211.3/119021.

Note: this citation may be lacking information needed for this citation format:Not specified: Masters Thesis or Doctoral Dissertation

MLA Handbook (7th Edition):

Merica-Jones, Jerry. “Power Within Distributive Leadership:
A Consideration of Teacher and Administrator Relationships
as Constructed and Deconstructed through Discourse
.” 2014. Web. 25 May 2019.

Vancouver:

Merica-Jones J. Power Within Distributive Leadership:
A Consideration of Teacher and Administrator Relationships
as Constructed and Deconstructed through Discourse
. [Internet] [Thesis]. California State University – San Marcos; 2014. [cited 2019 May 25].
Available from: http://hdl.handle.net/10211.3/119021.

Note: this citation may be lacking information needed for this citation format:Not specified: Masters Thesis or Doctoral Dissertation

Council of Science Editors:

Merica-Jones J. Power Within Distributive Leadership:
A Consideration of Teacher and Administrator Relationships
as Constructed and Deconstructed through Discourse
. [Thesis]. California State University – San Marcos; 2014. Available from: http://hdl.handle.net/10211.3/119021

Note: this citation may be lacking information needed for this citation format:Not specified: Masters Thesis or Doctoral Dissertation

Boston College

11.
McGarrigle, Donna M.The Role of Leadership in Social-Emotional Learning
Implementation: Principal and Counselor Practices to Support
Social-Emotional Learning.

► This case study of a public school district in the Northeast United States explores the leadership practices of elementary and middle school counseling staff and…
(more)

▼ This case study of a public school district in the
Northeast United States explores the leadership practices of
elementary and middle school counseling staff and principals in
supporting SEL, using a distributedleadership framework (Spillane,
2006). Data sources included 24 interviews with administrators,
guidance counselors and social workers and document review.
Findings indicate counseling staff support students and staff in a
variety of ways through both formal and informal leadership
practices. Principals support SEL by establishing SEL programs or
strategies to match the needs of their student population. Two
different models were found for how guidance counselor and social
worker responsibilities are structured. The most common model, in
six of the nine schools, is a tiered model where guidance
counselors work with the majority of students on academic
support/monitoring and delivering SEL lessons. Social workers focus
on smaller numbers of students with more intensive needs. The
second but less common model, in three of the nine schools, does
not differentiate the roles of social workers and guidance
counselors and instead assigns responsibilities by grade level.
Concerns with this second model were raised by some administrators
and several counselors. The quality of peer and administrator
relationships was reported to be supportive and collaborative in
the schools with differentiated roles. In the non-differentiated
schools, it varied, and was related to shifting staff, a
misunderstanding of the role differences, and challenges in
developing collaborative relationships. Recommendations include
assessing support structures to ensure the model adequately
supports the SEL needs of the school.
Advisors/Committee Members: Vincent Cho (Thesis advisor).

► Scholars of educational leadership have long argued that in order for building and district leaders to meet the challenge of improving schools, the leadership capacity…
(more)

▼ Scholars of educational leadership have long argued that in order for building and district leaders to meet the challenge of improving schools, the leadership capacity within these schools must be increased. Teachers, assuming more leadership responsibilities and ultimately serving as leaders, may provide the leadership capacity needed to improve schools. This descriptive research study examined what school administrators are doing to support the development of teacher leaders serving in formal roles. A survey of 115 teacher leaders from four school districts located in Pierce County, Washington, were asked to respond to questions regarding their leadership positions, professional responsibilities, and training. The results revealed that in certain leadership positions, teacher leaders receive the support, resources and time to become effective leaders in their schools. The findings also suggest that there may be a relationship between the leadership strategy used by district and building leaders and the level of success experienced by teachers serving in formal leadership roles.
Advisors/Committee Members: Goldman, Paul (advisor).

► A key debate within leadership research is whether leadership can be conceptualized as a specialized role occupied by individuals or as a shared influence process…
(more)

▼ A key debate within leadership research is whether leadership can be conceptualized as a specialized role occupied by individuals or as a shared influence process amongst all members of a group (Yukl, 2006). Since the mid-­‐ 1990s some leadership scholars, as a counterpoint to the dominance of the former and using terms such as shared and distributedleadership, have attempted to elaborate new ‘post-­‐heroic’ leadership models (Badaracco, 2001) of the latter, in which leadership is something that involves all group members. These new forms of leadership are often positioned as something that organizations can implement as part of an adaptive response to a rapidly changing world. Despite a 50-­‐year tradition of construing leadership as a group level construct, little attention has been paid in these emerging debates to the systems psychodynamic perspective. From this perspective there are grounds for suspecting that attempts to implement shared leadership may compound rather than ameliorate issues related to adaptive challenges (Huffington, James and Armstrong, 2004). This thesis engages with the shared and distributedleadership literatures and examines how a systems psychodynamic perspective can contribute not only to debates within these literatures but to the wider controversies in the leadership literature. This thesis reports on the findings of a single, 18-­‐month, longitudinal case study of a senior team whose managing director attempted to implement shared leadership. Using a clinical fieldwork methodology (Schein, 1987) in the systems psychodynamic tradition (Miller, 1993b; Miller and Rice, 1967), this study advances a number of contributions to theory. These include: findings that challenge existing approaches to conceptualizing leadership – shared or otherwise; the elucidation of complex unconscious team processes that are mobilized as a senior team undertakes adaptive work; and thirdly, a more sophisticated and theoretically robust conceptualization of leadership as a group level phenomenon.

► Student leaders in New Zealand secondary schools may include tutors, head students, sports and cultural captains, mentors and prefects. This study is based on the…
(more)

▼ Student leaders in New Zealand secondary schools may include tutors, head students, sports and cultural captains, mentors and prefects. This study is based on the premise that student leaders can provide inspiration to other students and work skilfully to shape the culture of a school. The possibilities that stem from the role of student leader can be endless, yet there seems to be little evidence of consensus regarding what kind of training should be provided for student leaders.
This is an investigation of student leadership training programmes. The main purpose is to discover what constitutes effective training for student leaders. This study is designed to provide educators with examples of what effective training could involve. It is a multiple-case study of three different New Zealand secondary schools. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, an observation and a survey. The study uses a distributedleadership framework and thematic analysis of data.
This study reveals some aspects of effective student leadership training and, based on findings, includes recommendations for components of future training programmes. The analysis highlights the importance of creating a school environment that supports student leadership. The findings also reveal the value of designing leadership training programmes that adhere to principles of experiential learning.
Advisors/Committee Members: Bondy, Ann.

► A key debate within leadership research is whether leadership can be conceptualized as a specialized role occupied by individuals or as a shared influence process…
(more)

▼ A
key
debate
within
leadership
research
is
whether
leadership
can
be
conceptualized
as
a
specialized
role
occupied
by
individuals
or
as
a
shared
influence
process
amongst
all
members
of
a
group
(Yukl,
2006).
Since
the
mid-­‐
1990s
some
leadership
scholars,
as
a
counterpoint
to
the
dominance
of
the
former
and
using
terms
such
as
shared
and
distributedleadership,
have
attempted
to
elaborate
new
‘post-­‐heroic’
leadership
models
(Badaracco,
2001)
of
the
latter,
in
which
leadership
is
something
that
involves
all
group
members.
These
new
forms
of
leadership
are
often
positioned
as
something
that
organizations
can
implement
as
part
of
an
adaptive
response
to
a
rapidly
changing
world.
Despite
a
50-­‐year
tradition
of
construing
leadership
as
a
group
level
construct,
little
attention
has
been
paid
in
these
emerging
debates
to
the
systems
psychodynamic
perspective.
From
this
perspective
there
are
grounds
for
suspecting
that
attempts
to
implement
shared
leadership
may
compound
rather
than
ameliorate
issues
related
to
adaptive
challenges
(Huffington,
James
and
Armstrong,
2004).
This
thesis
engages
with
the
shared
and
distributedleadership
literatures
and
examines
how
a
systems
psychodynamic
perspective
can
contribute
not
only
to
debates
within
these
literatures
but
to
the
wider
controversies
in
the
leadership
literature.
This
thesis
reports
on
the
findings
of
a
single,
18-­‐month,
longitudinal
case
study
of
a
senior
team
whose
managing
director
attempted
to
implement
shared
leadership.
Using
a
clinical
fieldwork
methodology
(Schein,
1987)
in
the
systems
psychodynamic
tradition
(Miller,
1993b;
Miller
and
Rice,
1967),
this
study
advances
a
number
of
contributions
to
theory.
These
include:
findings
that
challenge
existing
approaches
to
conceptualizing
leadership
–
shared
or
otherwise;
the
elucidation
of
complex
unconscious
team
processes
that
are
mobilized
as
a
senior
team
undertakes
adaptive
work;
and
thirdly,
a
more
sophisticated
and
theoretically
robust
conceptualization
of
leadership
as
a
group
level
phenomenon.

► The purpose of this study was to determine the strategies public school superintendents across the nation use to develop executive leadership teams. Extensive research has…
(more)

▼ The purpose of this study was to determine the
strategies public school superintendents across the nation use to
develop executive leadership teams. Extensive research has been
conducted in private for profit and medical settings, however
relatively little research on leading teams has been conducted in
the public education sector. Research based practices from the
current research were considered and the following three research
questions were asked: 1) How do superintendents select leadership
team members? 2) What strategies do superintendents use to foster a
collaborative climate? and 3) How do superintendents distribute and
share leadership responsibilities? A mixed methods approach was
used to ascertain how superintendents select their leadership team
members, develop a collaborative climate, and distribute leadership
responsibilities among the executive team. The study included the
purposeful sampling of five superintendents and 51 leadership team
members who work in large K-12 districts across four states. The
results indicate that superintendents in this study balance
person-focused and task-focused competencies in the selection
process for new team members; however, issues of recruitment and
retention are barriers to the selection process. Superintendents
utilize six major collaboration strategies (clearly defined roles
and responsibilities, climate of trust, openness, honesty,
consistency, and respect) and also use individual reflective
practices as a means to build leadership capacity. Superintendents
use participative strategies with their leadership teams at a
higher rate than delegation strategies when distributing leadership
across the team. Implications for practice are provided in the
researcher-developed “Framework for Building a Leadership
Team.”
Advisors/Committee Members: Castruita, Rudy Max (Committee Chair), Garcia, Pedro Enrique (Committee Member), García, Pedro Enrique (Committee Member), Gross, Gwen (Committee Member).

► This is a phenomenological study of the experiences of three teacher leaders in the context of high school reform. It examines the essence of teacher…
(more)

▼ This is a phenomenological study of the experiences of three teacher leaders in the context of high school reform. It examines the essence of teacher leadership and how these teacher leaders made sense of their experiences. At the outset is a portrayal of my position and connection to the phenomenon of teacher leadership. This study reviews literature within three distinct areas. First, the nature of school reform is examined, including the rationale for reform, the challenges associated with reform, how to achieve sustainable reform, and a review of six drivers for effective reforms. Then, an investigation of distributedleadership follows which includes a discussion of the processes and forms of distributedleadership and a description of the facilitators and tensions for distributedleadership. The third area of the review is focused on teacher leadership including the roles and characteristics of teacher leaders, their connection to staff development, issues of effectiveness, and tensions for teacher leaders. Following this review, the research design and methodology is presented. Transcendental phenomenology including the concepts of phenomenological reduction and imaginative variation are explored in detail. Protocol writing was utilized to select participants for this study. From collected writings by formal teacher leaders, participants suited for phenomenological research were selected. Three teacher leaders participated in in-depth, semi-structured interviews. The interviews were transcribed by the researcher. Participants shared their experiences as teacher leaders. Additional questions were asked to elicit more details about their experiences and to find out how participants made sense of their experiences. In the experiences of the participants, five themes emerged: Grappling with teacher leadership identity, facing the uncertainties of sustaining the reform initiative, negotiating the tensions between management and leadership, experiencing challenges of leading, and feeling the empowerment of success. Participants made sense of their experiences in these four ways: learning, communicating, doing, and reflecting. Several forces that impact the experience of teacher leadership and facilitate the formation of teacher leadership identity emerged. Through the process of making sense of their experiences, teacher leaders came to understand theory, which they termed “getting it”, and then enacted their learning. The ways in which teacher leaders made sense of their experiences were influenced in part by their leadership persona and in part by the culture and context within which they lived. Among the implications for theory from this study is that more needs to be learned about the leadership identity of teacher leaders leading reforms. Implications for practice include the provision of time for teacher leaders to reflect on and discuss their experiences, as well as the provision of professional development focused on change praxis and leadership praxis for teacher leaders and…
Advisors/Committee Members: Cottrell, Michael, Coffin, Cindy, Kinzel, Audrey, Renihan, Patrick, Prytula, Michelle.

Norris, C. M. (2010). Living within reform : a phenomenological study of the lived experiences of teacher leaders in high schools. (Thesis). University of Saskatchewan. Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/10388/etd-09182010-220244

Note: this citation may be lacking information needed for this citation format:Not specified: Masters Thesis or Doctoral Dissertation

Chicago Manual of Style (16th Edition):

Norris, Colleen Marie. “Living within reform : a phenomenological study of the lived experiences of teacher leaders in high schools.” 2010. Thesis, University of Saskatchewan. Accessed May 25, 2019.
http://hdl.handle.net/10388/etd-09182010-220244.

Note: this citation may be lacking information needed for this citation format:Not specified: Masters Thesis or Doctoral Dissertation

MLA Handbook (7th Edition):

Norris, Colleen Marie. “Living within reform : a phenomenological study of the lived experiences of teacher leaders in high schools.” 2010. Web. 25 May 2019.

Vancouver:

Norris CM. Living within reform : a phenomenological study of the lived experiences of teacher leaders in high schools. [Internet] [Thesis]. University of Saskatchewan; 2010. [cited 2019 May 25].
Available from: http://hdl.handle.net/10388/etd-09182010-220244.

Note: this citation may be lacking information needed for this citation format:Not specified: Masters Thesis or Doctoral Dissertation

Council of Science Editors:

Norris CM. Living within reform : a phenomenological study of the lived experiences of teacher leaders in high schools. [Thesis]. University of Saskatchewan; 2010. Available from: http://hdl.handle.net/10388/etd-09182010-220244

Note: this citation may be lacking information needed for this citation format:Not specified: Masters Thesis or Doctoral Dissertation

► The role of the principal role has become very complex with the increased focus on accountability and student achievement. Principals can no longer do…
(more)

▼ The role of the principal role has become very complex with the increased focus on accountability and student achievement. Principals can no longer do their jobs alone. Distributedleadership has been the subject of considerable educational research and discourse in recent years. This study explores how principals employ or do not employ distributedleadership with their staffs. The study found that the school principal plays a key role in supporting the school by communicating a common purpose, that distributedleadership is developed within a school climate built upon collaboration, the principal models leadership using tools and routines, and situational decision making requires principals to make the decisions on their own.
The results of this study provide additional information for future research to continue to define the behaviors and practices of principals that support a distributedleadership model.
Advisors/Committee Members: Kern L. Sanzo, Jay Scribner, Joy Howard.

► This is a qualitative case study of two suburban elementary schools that have experienced consistent student achievement over the past few years, as evidenced by…
(more)

▼ This is a qualitative case study of two suburban
elementary schools that have experienced consistent student
achievement over the past few years, as evidenced by scores on
standardized state tests. The study explores the effects on teacher
leadership development when using a distributive leadership model
in the school. A distributive leadership paradigm represents a
novel and promising perspective in the area of school leadership.
The study examined the roles of teachers, their functions,and their
interactions and provided information on how leadership develops.
To potentially maximize the depth, accuracy, and interpretation of
the data collected,two sites with different leadership styles were
chosen; one distributes leadership,while the other site implements
a traditional model. The following research question guided the
study: Do distributedleadership practices in school systems result
in increased teacher motivation, ability, and action towards
leadership?; The study findings indicate that by having access to
the school’s leadership structures and routines through the
distribution of leadership, teachers are able to share their
expertise and deepen their knowledge, which transfers into their
classrooms through improved creativity, motivation, and
effectiveness as reflected in their instructional programs. This
study also offered new insight into how this distribution creates
teachers’ professional satisfaction, empowerment, ownership, and
enhanced responsibility in the decision making process dealing with
the management of instruction and curriculum. Future research
should be conducted that includes the use of long-term studies to
explore the development of teacher leadership throughout the
various implementation stages of a distributedleadership model.
Equally important is to research how to distributive leadership of
curriculum to incorporate teachers' views.
Advisors/Committee Members: Kezar, Adrianna (Committee Chair), Wilson, Carol (Committee Member), Stowe, Kathy Huisong (Committee Member).

Jaimes IJ. Distributed leadership practices in schools: effect on the
development of teacher leadership - a case study. [Internet] [Doctoral dissertation]. University of Southern California; 2009. [cited 2019 May 25].
Available from: http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/compoundobject/collection/p15799coll127/id/181409/rec/2048.

Council of Science Editors:

Jaimes IJ. Distributed leadership practices in schools: effect on the
development of teacher leadership - a case study. [Doctoral Dissertation]. University of Southern California; 2009. Available from: http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/compoundobject/collection/p15799coll127/id/181409/rec/2048

►Distributedleadership is a free-floating concept that has come to prominence in the education field. Policy-makers, researchers and practitioners alike tout it as the mode…
(more)

▼Distributedleadership is a free-floating concept that has come to prominence in the education field. Policy-makers, researchers and practitioners alike tout it as the mode of leadership suitable for twenty-first century schools. The quantity of commentary, related typologies, research and recognition in education policy gives the impression that distributedleadership is a mature concept. Most writers appear to assume that distributedleadership is beyond controversy, contributes to official legitimised school improvement and so is in no need of any re-theorising. The thesis in this study provides an alternative view. It argues that it is time to reject the grand narrative of distributedleadership and replace it with a critical and sociological re-theorising of distributed forms of leadership that reveal how authority and symbolic power co-exist in hybrid configurations of day-to-day leadership practice. In other words, the conceptual development of distributedleadership is at a pivotal point.
Two forms of analysis led to this rejection and re-theorising. One was in the broader school and generic leadership fields, while the other was on research in schools. The discussion in the first part of this study reveals that existent theorising and research of distributedleadership is predominantly silent around power, micropolitics, and the performative policies that have created environments conducive to distributedleadership being recommended as a ‘vehicle’ for reform. Most of the research to date can be categorised as either descriptive, with a tendency to be apolitical, or normative, with a tendency to oversimplify complexity. However, a critical analysis of related typologies and research suggests that there is a recent acknowledgment that distributedleadership exists in differing forms and is more complex than originally thought.
The school-based research in part two of this study was a commitment to understand day-to-day leadership practice in situ over 20 months, in two New Zealand suburban secondary schools. This investigation confirmed that existing conceptualisations, normative research and commentary of distributedleadership tended to be over-simplified. The distributed forms of leadership that emerged in each school were unique, due to the different educative, social, political and historical contexts that shaped and re-shaped the differing forms over time. There was no one preferred way of understanding how leadership existed in distributed forms. Analysis of the case studies led to the development of an analytical framework that can help understand the complexity of distributed forms of leadership that schools rely on.
The third and final part focuses on the thesis of this study. It rejects the distributedleadership grand narrative and argues for a critical and sociological re-theorising, that incorporates symbolic capital, symbolic power and authority. The re-theorising illustrates how authoritative capital co-exists with human, cultural and social forms of capital to form organisational and…
Advisors/Committee Members: Thrupp, Martin (advisor), Alcorn, Noeline (advisor).

► Although the Task Team on leadership and development (DoE, 1996) has introduced the notion of shared (collaborative) leadership as embodied among others in school management…
(more)

▼ Although the Task Team on leadership and development
(DoE, 1996) has introduced the notion of shared (collaborative)
leadership as embodied among others in school management teams,
considerable doubt remains about its practical implementation (DoE,
1996). It seems that there may be widespread failure to implement
the idea of collaborative (shared) leadership (DoE, 1996). The
problem this research explores is whether, in the opinion of school
management team members, the traditional approach to leadership has
changed (DoE, 1996). According to Grant (2006 in Grant&Singh,
2009), despite an enabling democratic policy framework the
leadership at many South African schools seems to remain firmly
entrenched within the formal, hierarchical management structure.
During the period of colonialism and apartheid in South Africa
government legislation perpetuated a society of inequality based on
race, class and gender (Grant 2006 in Grant & Singh, 2009). To
control and maintain this inequality, government policies promoted
centralised, authoritarian control of education at all levels
within the system (Grant 2006 in Grant&Singh, 2009). Today,
within a democratic South Africa, the South African Schools Act
(1996), the Government Gazette of the Norms and Standards for
Educators (2000) and the Task Team Report on Education Management
Development (DoE, 1996) challenge schools to review their
management policies, which have traditionally been top-down, and
create a whole new approach to managing schools where management is
seen as an activity in which all members of education engage and
should not be seen as the task of a few (DoE, 1996:27). According
to Moloi (2002 in Grant&Singh, 2009), although our education
policies call for new ways of managing schools, many remain
unresponsive and retain their rigid structures because educators
are unable to make a shift away from patriarchal ways of thinking.
It is against this backdrop that I explore whether leadership has
indeed shifted to become more participatory and inclusive. One form
of leadership that would reflect this shift is termed collaborative
leadership (Grant&Singh, 2009). This form of leadership is
based on the premise that leadership should be shared throughout an
organisation such as a school (Grant&Singh, 2009). This
alternate form of leadership allows for the emergence of teachers
as one of the multiple sources of guidance and direction
(Grant&Singh, 2009). According to Grant and Singh (2009),
collaborative leadership offers a radical departure from the
traditional understanding of leadership because it deconstructs the
notion of leadership in relation to position in the school. It
constructs leadership as a process which involves working with all
stakeholders in a collegial and creative way to seek out the
untapped leadership potential of people and develop this potential
in a supportive environment for the betterment of the school
(Grant&Singh, 2009). The general aim of this research is to
investigate school management teams’ understanding of the
implementation of…
Advisors/Committee Members: Prof J L Beckmann (advisor).

► Although the Task Team on leadership and development (DoE, 1996) has introduced the notion of shared (collaborative) leadership as embodied among others in school management…
(more)

▼ Although the Task Team on leadership and development
(DoE, 1996) has introduced the notion of shared (collaborative)
leadership as embodied among others in school management teams,
considerable doubt remains about its practical implementation (DoE,
1996). It seems that there may be widespread failure to implement
the idea of collaborative (shared) leadership (DoE, 1996). The
problem this research explores is whether, in the opinion of school
management team members, the traditional approach to leadership has
changed (DoE, 1996). According to Grant (2006 in Grant&Singh,
2009), despite an enabling democratic policy framework the
leadership at many South African schools seems to remain firmly
entrenched within the formal, hierarchical management structure.
During the period of colonialism and apartheid in South Africa
government legislation perpetuated a society of inequality based on
race, class and gender (Grant 2006 in Grant & Singh, 2009). To
control and maintain this inequality, government policies promoted
centralised, authoritarian control of education at all levels
within the system (Grant 2006 in Grant&Singh, 2009). Today,
within a democratic South Africa, the South African Schools Act
(1996), the Government Gazette of the Norms and Standards for
Educators (2000) and the Task Team Report on Education Management
Development (DoE, 1996) challenge schools to review their
management policies, which have traditionally been top-down, and
create a whole new approach to managing schools where management is
seen as an activity in which all members of education engage and
should not be seen as the task of a few (DoE, 1996:27). According
to Moloi (2002 in Grant&Singh, 2009), although our education
policies call for new ways of managing schools, many remain
unresponsive and retain their rigid structures because educators
are unable to make a shift away from patriarchal ways of thinking.
It is against this backdrop that I explore whether leadership has
indeed shifted to become more participatory and inclusive. One form
of leadership that would reflect this shift is termed collaborative
leadership (Grant&Singh, 2009). This form of leadership is
based on the premise that leadership should be shared throughout an
organisation such as a school (Grant&Singh, 2009). This
alternate form of leadership allows for the emergence of teachers
as one of the multiple sources of guidance and direction
(Grant&Singh, 2009). According to Grant and Singh (2009),
collaborative leadership offers a radical departure from the
traditional understanding of leadership because it deconstructs the
notion of leadership in relation to position in the school. It
constructs leadership as a process which involves working with all
stakeholders in a collegial and creative way to seek out the
untapped leadership potential of people and develop this potential
in a supportive environment for the betterment of the school
(Grant&Singh, 2009). The general aim of this research is to
investigate school management teams’ understanding of the
implementation of…
Advisors/Committee Members: Prof J L Beckmann (advisor).

► The three-fold purpose of this quantitative data study was to explore the relationship between teachers' perceptions of distributedleadership and teacher turnover in public schools…
(more)

▼ The three-fold purpose of this quantitative data study was to explore the relationship between teachers' perceptions of distributedleadership and teacher turnover in public schools in North Carolina. This study measured two latent constructs: teachers' perceptions of distributedleadership in their schools and teachers' intentions to leave their jobs. Within distributedleadership, three sub-constructs were measured: leadership function, cohesive teamwork, and participative decision-making. This study aimed to answer three research questions related to the relationship between teachers and principals' perceptions of distributedleadership; the effect of school context characteristics of the way teachers perceive leadership distributions in their schools, and the relationship between teachers' perceptions of distributedleadership and teacher turnover. Regression analysis results were based on quantitative survey data from the North Carolina Teachers Working Conditions Survey 20052006. Implications of the findings and suggestions for future research are provided.
Advisors/Committee Members: Edward J Fuller, Dissertation Advisor.

Nurses provide leadership at various levels throughout healthcare organisations as Directors of Nursing, Chief Nursing Officers, as well as clinical leaders at a unit level.…
(more)

▼

Nurses provide leadership at various levels throughout healthcare organisations as Directors of Nursing, Chief Nursing Officers, as well as clinical leaders at a unit level. Existing research into nursing leadership has mainly focussed on transformational and transactional forms of leadership, which has been at the expense of exploring more contemporary forms of leadership. Furthermore there is limited research into the experiences of leadership from registered nurses working in the clinical settings.
This research explored the extent and appropriateness of four forms of leadership namely transactional, transformational, distributed and hybrid leadership as it applies in to clinical nursing.

► Explaining the complex nature of how leadership works within the school has proven difficult; consequently, many studies have shown little or no effects of leadership…
(more)

▼ Explaining the complex nature of how leadership works within the school has proven difficult; consequently, many studies have shown little or no effects of leadership on student outcomes and school performance (Leithwood & Jantzi, 1999; Leithwood, Louis, Anderson, & Wahlstrom, 2004). Furthermore, researchers acknowledge that a gap exists in the literature between explaining models of leadership and describing the effective actions of leadership (Grissom & Loeb, 2011; Kruger et al, 2007; Robinson, 2006; Robinson et al 2008; Waters, Marzano, & McNulty, 2004). Of the research that does link leadership practices to student outcomes and school performance, the assumed indicators of leadership effectiveness, in most cases the relationship was studied through indirect effects (Leithwood, Patten, & Jantzi, 2010). On the school front, restructuring options are being implemented for schools that fail to raise their test scores. Each of these options includes the opportunity for replacing the leadership and a number of the teachers in those schools. Specifically for Louisiana, the state in which this study was conducted, as of 2012, the state is seeing some gains, but thirty-six percent (36%) of Louisiana’s schools have received D or F (LDOE, 2012a). In addition, for 2012, forty-two additional schools received the grade F, an increase from 115 to 157 schools (LDOE, 2012a). As a result, Louisiana continues to implement sanctions in an attempt to improve school performance. The purpose of this study was to use case study methodology to explore the perceptions and practices of leadership in a Southern, urban middle school. Results supported the implementation of Distributed and Instructional Leadership practices. A major implication of this study is that it challenges the sanctions enforced by NCLB, by representing effective leadership in a struggling school, thereby raising questions of the appropriateness of holding principals responsible for school performance.

► This dissertation of practice utilized a multiple case-study approach to examine distributedleadership within five school districts that were attempting to gain acceptance of a…
(more)

▼ This dissertation of practice utilized a multiple
case-study approach to examine distributedleadership within five
school districts that were attempting to gain acceptance of a
large-scale 1:1 technology initiative. Using frame theory and
distributedleadership theory as theoretical frameworks, this study
interviewed each district's superintendent and members of the
technology leadership team and assessed how they interacted with
the superintendent and each other. Using these theoretical
frameworks, this study made several findings relevant to
scholarship around technology leadership at the school district
level. One finding related to frame theory was that superintendents
achieved acceptance of these large-scale 1:1 technology initiatives
using the prognostic and motivational frames. Furthermore,
superintendents considered constraints and developed strategic
processes for implementation of technology initiatives. With
respect to distributedleadership theory, this study found that the
technology leadership teams included a primary leader and secondary
leaders. Furthermore, superintendents interacted with the
technology leadership team through institutional practices and took
on tasks that fell within their job responsibilities. Typically,
these institutional practices were regularly scheduled meetings,
such as a district leadership team meeting. Lastly, the technology
leadership team interacted through institutional practices,
intuitive working relations, spontaneous collaboration and
coordinated tasks that fell both in and outside of their typical
job responsibilities. Many of the technology teams' interactions
that fell within spontaneous collaboration and intuitive working
relations were to problem solve issues with the technology
implementation, such as members meeting with the technology
director to troubleshoot infrastructure challenges. This
dissertation of practice is beneficial for educational and
organizational scholars and practitioners interested in how
large-scale initiatives are accepted within a school
district.
Advisors/Committee Members: Diana Pullin (Thesis advisor), Vincent Cho (Thesis advisor).

► This study examines how two schools utilized elements of distributedleadership to implement strategies from a reform intervention for whole school and classroom improvement planning…
(more)

▼ This study examines how two schools utilized elements of distributedleadership to implement strategies from a reform intervention for whole school and classroom improvement planning from data. The notion of distributedleadership was refined in a conceptual framework that includes mediating variables of procedures and processes, materials and tools, and norms and rules. Strategies were introduced through a specific intervention for reform, Effective Schools for the 21st Century, based on high reliability organizations and co-construction. It utilized professional development sessions and distributedleadership as a vehicle to implement reform strategies in the schools. This was a qualitative study, analyzed through a sociocultural epistemological lens. The study was anchored in mediated agency and distributedleadership. Distributedleadership was expressed through the collaborative, interdependent work as people-or in this study-teachers engaged in activities to plan improvement. Mediated agency was observed as teachers and administrators utilized various procedures and processes, materials and tools, and norms and rules as they implemented the strategies to use and plan from data, as they worked toward becoming a more high reliability organization. Results indicated that as initiatives enter school contexts, they are, indeed, mediated and shaped as they are distributed across the three constructs of distributedleadership. It was also found that as strategies are mediated, proximal and distal outcomes are evident, as they are influenced by the three variables within each school context. Implications for understanding how distributedleadership was operationalized and co-constructed among school leaders were made. Also, implications were made for recognizing that relevant data was a powerful tool in leading and monitoring change when used intentionally for specific purposes.
Advisors/Committee Members: Lasky, Susan Gail.

▼ This study investigated Kuwait secondary school
teachers’ perspectives toward five leadership distribution
dimensions: cooperation within the leadership team, participative
decision making in school, teachers’ cooperation within
departments, maximum leadership support, and leadership
distribution. It investigated teachers’ perceptions toward their
actual and desired level of participation in Ministry of Education
(MoE) decisions as well as their organizational commitment to both
schools and the MoE as a central organization. This study further
explored how perspectives toward each of the five dimensions of
distributedleadership and level of participation in MoE decisions
influence teachers’ organizational commitment. This study utilized
a quantitative methodological approach. Data were collected using a
survey comprising items from the DistributedLeadership Inventory
(DLI) (Hulpia, 2009), Ferrara’s (1994) Shared Education Decision
Survey, and Organizational Commitment Questionnaire (Mowday,
Steers, and Porter, 1979). The researcher selected items suitable
for Kuwait’s cultural setting. A total of 777 teachers from 24
secondary schools in Kuwait participated in this study. The data
were analyzed using descriptive statistics, including means,
standard deviations, and percentages, to analyze teachers’
responses. Regression and structural linear modeling were used to
determine the influence of distributedleadership in school and the
level of participation in MoE decisions on teachers’ organizational
commitment. The findings showed that teachers believe that
leadership is formally distributed in Kuwait’s secondary school
through cooperation within the leadership team, maximum leadership
support, and leadership distribution among leaders. Leadership is
also distributed informally through teachers’ cooperation.
Teachers’ participation in school decisions was a less significant
dimension, and teachers indicated that their actual participation
in MoE decisions was low—lower than they desired. In terms of
organizational commitment, teachers expressed high commitment to
their school and medium to low commitment to the MoE. The data
indicated that the distributedleadership dimension and
participation in MoE decisions statistically expressed 44% of
teachers’ commitment. Specifically, cooperation with formal
leadership, teachers’ cooperation, and desired and actual level of
participation in MoE decisions were predictors for teachers’
commitment.

Alsaleh, A. (2014). The relationship between the perception of distributed
leadership and the degree of participation in Ministry decisions on
teachers' organizational commitment in the State of Kuwait. (Doctoral Dissertation). Penn State University. Retrieved from https://etda.libraries.psu.edu/catalog/21089

Chicago Manual of Style (16th Edition):

Alsaleh, Amal. “The relationship between the perception of distributed
leadership and the degree of participation in Ministry decisions on
teachers' organizational commitment in the State of Kuwait.” 2014. Doctoral Dissertation, Penn State University. Accessed May 25, 2019.
https://etda.libraries.psu.edu/catalog/21089.

MLA Handbook (7th Edition):

Alsaleh, Amal. “The relationship between the perception of distributed
leadership and the degree of participation in Ministry decisions on
teachers' organizational commitment in the State of Kuwait.” 2014. Web. 25 May 2019.

Vancouver:

Alsaleh A. The relationship between the perception of distributed
leadership and the degree of participation in Ministry decisions on
teachers' organizational commitment in the State of Kuwait. [Internet] [Doctoral dissertation]. Penn State University; 2014. [cited 2019 May 25].
Available from: https://etda.libraries.psu.edu/catalog/21089.

Council of Science Editors:

Alsaleh A. The relationship between the perception of distributed
leadership and the degree of participation in Ministry decisions on
teachers' organizational commitment in the State of Kuwait. [Doctoral Dissertation]. Penn State University; 2014. Available from: https://etda.libraries.psu.edu/catalog/21089

University of Manchester

29.
Hayward, Simon.
Success factors in the transition towards distributedleadership in large organisations.

► The thesis reviews recent and current literature on leadership, and in particular on distributedleadership and complexity leadership theories. It describes my research into the…
(more)

▼ The thesis reviews recent and current literature on leadership, and in particular on distributedleadership and complexity leadership theories. It describes my research into the factors affecting the success of transition towards a more distributed approach to leadership in two cases: one is a large UK private company and the other is a large UK university. The longitudinal research was conducted over the period from 2011 to 2013, using repeated interviews at senior and middle management levels, document analysis and observation to collect a rich set of data about both cases. I used a template to help analyse the data from each case. Through subsequent cross-case analysis the thesis identifies certain factors that influence the degree of success in making the transition to a distributed form of leadership, which involves not only devolved decision making but also increased levels of collaboration and organisational agility, which are key concerns of leaders of large organisations according to recent research across top 250 companies in the UK (Ipsos MORI, 2015: 5). The conclusion from my research is a framework called connected leadership, which describes the critical success factors and how they inter-relate. The first factor is having senior leadership committed to being role models, which is a pre-requisite for successful transition. There are then two factors that lay a strong foundation for the transition, namely having a shared organisational purpose and vison and values-based approach to leadership behaviour. Finally there are factors that then make distributedleadership work in practice: consistently devolved decision making, an emphasis on collaborative achievement, and agility and learning. The thesis provides practitioners with insight at both the organisational and leadership role levels, based on the connected leadership model. At the organisational level, I have derived from the research certain indicators for each factor that help diagnose and plan for the introduction of a distributedleadership approach. At the leadership role level the framework provides a helpful guide to developing leadership capability and role definition. The connected leadership model represents a coherent guide for leaders to use as a template for successful transition to a more distributed, collaborative and agile organisation, which is able to compete effectively in the 21st century networked society. Academically, this thesis provides a synthesis of distributed and complexity leadership theories, as well as drawing on authentic leadership theory, in order to understand the organisational and human dynamics that influence the transition to a more distributedleadership approach. Both cases are large organisations, which means that the factor framework provides relevant insight into how distributedleadership can be effective in large and relatively complex organisations.

► The thesis reviews recent and current literature on leadership, and in particular on distributedleadership and complexity leadership theories. It describes my research into the…
(more)

▼ The thesis reviews recent and current literature on
leadership, and in particular on distributedleadership and
complexity leadership theories. It describes my research into the
factors affecting the success of transition towards a more
distributed approach to leadership in two cases: one is a large UK
private company and the other is a large UK university. The
longitudinal research was conducted over the period from 2011 to
2013, using repeated interviews at senior and middle management
levels, document analysis and observation to collect a rich set of
data about both cases. I used a template to help analyse the data
from each case. Through subsequent cross-case analysis the thesis
identifies certain factors that influence the degree of success in
making the transition to a distributed form of leadership, which
involves not only devolved decision making but also increased
levels of collaboration and organisational agility, which are key
concerns of leaders of large organisations according to recent
research across top 250 companies in the UK (Ipsos MORI, 2015: 5).
The conclusion from my research is a framework called connected
leadership, which describes the critical success factors and how
they inter-relate. The first factor is having senior leadership
committed to being role models, which is a pre-requisite for
successful transition. There are then two factors that lay a strong
foundation for the transition, namely having a shared
organisational purpose and vison and values-based approach to
leadership behaviour. Finally there are factors that then make
distributedleadership work in practice: consistently devolved
decision making, an emphasis on collaborative achievement, and
agility and learning. The thesis provides practitioners with
insight at both the organisational and leadership role levels,
based on the connected leadership model. At the organisational
level, I have derived from the research certain indicators for each
factor that help diagnose and plan for the introduction of a
distributedleadership approach. At the leadership role level the
framework provides a helpful guide to developing leadership
capability and role definition. The connected leadership model
represents a coherent guide for leaders to use as a template for
successful transition to a more distributed, collaborative and
agile organisation, which is able to compete effectively in the
21st century networked society. Academically, this thesis provides
a synthesis of distributed and complexity leadership theories, as
well as drawing on authentic leadership theory, in order to
understand the organisational and human dynamics that influence the
transition to a more distributedleadership approach. Both cases
are large organisations, which means that the factor framework
provides relevant insight into how distributedleadership can be
effective in large and relatively complex
organisations.
Advisors/Committee Members: CASSELL, CATHERINE CM, Bresnen, Michael, Cassell, Catherine.